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IRGC Captures U.S. Drone Sub in Strait of Hormuz

PressTV
Courtesy PressTV

Published Sep 8, 2026 3:38 PM by The Maritime Executive

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims to have captured an American drone sub in the Strait of Hormuz, a repeat of the IRGC's previous efforts to seize U.S. Navy unmanned vessels. 

U.S. Central Command has confirmed the incident. "An underwater drone operated by U.S. forces malfunctioned more than a day ago. It was surveying regional waters in support of ongoing operations," a CENTCOM spokesman told NewsNation. "The defective drone was an older model that neither collected sensitive data nor carried any classified sonar or radar equipment." 

The AUV's appearance and block-letter labeling on the hull suggest that it was an Anduril Dive-LD, a model in use with several U.S. Navy specialized units. Iranian outlet PressTV released detailed close-up footage of the submersible drone's sensors, body panels, fasteners and appendages, enabling easy open-source identification of the device.

In 2022, the Iranian military seized U.S. Navy Saildrone Explorer surveillance and patrol drones on at least two occasions. In late August 2022, the IRGC support vessel Shahid Baziar got a tow line onto a Saildrone in the Arabian Gulf and began towing it off, later releasing it after pressure from U.S. Navy forces. Several days later, the Iranian Navy frigate Jamaran captured two of the devices in the Red Sea and pulled them out of the water, returning them the next day after prompting from U.S. forces. 

Central Command has made extensive use of unmanned vessels in the current conflict with Iran, including missions for ISR, downed pilot search and rescue and kinetic attack. It is the first conflict in which unmanned maritime systems have played a significant public role in U.S. military operations.